Wildcat
by Salazarfalcon
Summary: Taro Mizuhara isn't sure just how he feels about that wild-eyed rich boy his son's been idolizing lately, and he KNOWS that that horse is way too big for him, but at least that Rei kid's got good manners. Post-Wide Open Skies, Pre-Rhythm and Bounce.


Wildcat

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><p>Taro Mizuhara isn't sure just how he feels about that wild-eyed rich boy his son's been idolizing lately, and he KNOWS that that horse is way too big for him, but at least that Rei kid's got good manners and patience in spades. In which Kai is the target of much parental scrutiny. Post-Wide Open Skies, Pre-Rhythm and Bounce.<p>

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><p>Disclaimer: Lol no.<p>

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><p>Taro Mizuhara would be the first to say that he loved his son. Really, he adored that kid, no matter what his divorced -and much more absent- former wife slash gorgon might have to say on the subject. No, he couldn't be around all of the time and the shop kept him busy and sometimes it really was all he could do some days to just sit at the table and eat, much less hold an in-depth conversation about Max's day but it never seemed to get the kid down and it wasn't like he lived in New York like <em>some<em> people he could name.

Taro Mizuhara would be the first to say that he trusted his son to make good decisions more than he trusted some of his employees, but when it got to the point that Max didn't see the point in warning him when he was going to have friends over (one of whom he'd never met before), it was time to put his foot down.

It was time to get involved, time to get proactive, time to figure out whether that black-haired boy with the braid to his knees was someone he ought to be wary of.

That would have been fine indeed; Rei turned out to be a pleasant, mild-mannered kid who got along with and tempered Max and Takao's boundless energy with a patience that seemed nearly saint-like, and Taro couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten it.

This was, of course, before he walked in on the three of them discussing at great length the exploits of one Kai Hiwatari, and Taro could come to only one conclusion about _that_ boy.

Kai Hiwatari must be an absolute hooligan.

Kai Hiwatari had a ponytail but apparently a _cool_ ponytail according to Max, unlike Rei's which seemed reminiscent of a wise master and couldn't possibly reek of bad influence. Kai Hiwatari wore custom-designed Prada sunglasses. Kai Hiwatari wore multiple belts for purposes other than to hold his pants up. Kai Hiwatari was sixteen years old and lived on his own.

He was also very clearly, dirty freaking rich.

All of these factors that Taro heard secondhand from various conversations added to one simple fact:

There was no way on Earth that this kid couldn't be bad news.

If Taro Mizuhara had a daughter, this would be the cue for him to start locking her up at night and looking up chastity belts on the internet.

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><p>"Dad, really. Not that I mind, but you don't have to stick around. I've been riding here every other day for weeks," Max said quietly, shooting his father a sidelong glance that was classic teenage boy. He did love his father, but this was ridiculous. Taro stood firm, stepping out of the car and resolutely closing the car door.<p>

"Well, you never told _me_ that. I had to see photos on Facebook that you hadn't set to private."

The fact that Taro was apparently moonlighting as an internet snoop was a discussion for another day, and Max was smart enough to pick his battles wisely. The blonde boy sighed.

"Besides, I think that as your parent, I have the right to inspect the places where you've been spending a lot of time." _And meet this famous Kai kid_ went unspoken, the words hovering in the air nonetheless. Max thought idly that if he stuck his tongue out, he might actually taste them.

"If you say so, Dad," the boy replied, ignoring his father's marveling glances about the massive property. This was going to be fun, his eyes were already boggling and they weren't even inside the gates yet. With experience, he walked up to the gates and pressed a button, waiting for the response.

"_Hiwatari Residence,"_

"Hey, Roger!"

"_Hay is for horses,"_ was the sharp retort.

"Good, 'cause I have a lesson. Could you open the gates, please?" Max asked politely, smiling at the banter.

"_Certainly. The young master's expecting you, and Master Rei may or may not be sneaking around throwing shavings at him. May I ask who your companion is?"_

Not so much a request as an order.

"This is my father, he wanted to see where I've been going."

"_Ahhh, exercising parental responsibility. Very good. And where is the other young hurricane who's usually with you?"_

"He couldn't make it today."

"_Shame. Opening the gates now, have a good time, Mizuhara-kun. Mizuhara-san."_

"Thank you!"

Without a single creak, the large steel grey gates began to swing open, and Max glanced up at his father, giving him a dubious look that read pure, unadulterated 'please don't embarrass the daylights out of me'.

"Come on, Dad. The barn's down this lane, all the way down there. We've got a bit of a walk," he said, grabbing Taro by the wrist and beginning the familiar walk. The man took in the perfect, rolling hills that he didn't actually think people were allowed to own and the fenced in fields spotted here and there with grazing horses. It was picturesque, really.

In the distance, Taro could make out the shape of a massive house.

Max was bouncing by the time they finally reached their destination while his father was breathing heavier than he would have liked, considering his age and the fact that he routinely exercised, thank you very much.

"You're not gonna drop, are you?" Max asked in concern, looking him up and down with worry in his blue eyes, and Taro shook his head.

"No, no, I'll be fine. Just a bit _more_ of a walk than I thought it would be." The blonde boy shrugged sheepishly and Taro reached out to ruffle his hair, pulling his hand away just as a figure began to approach from inside the barn.

A very familiar figure.

Rei was dressed more casually than Taro usually saw him, clad only in a pair of blue jeans and a high-collared sleeveless shirt, but his boots were tightly laced despite the smudge of dirt on his cheek.

"Rei, hi!" Max called out, breaking away from his father to approach his friend, "I brought Dad, he insisted on coming. Kai's not going to kill me, is he?"

Rei shrugged.

"Nah. He'll be a little more tense, but you know," As if that explained everything. Apparently it did, because Max nodded like he knew what Rei was talking about and cocked his head to the side, a lopsided smile tilting at his lips.

"Roger said something about shavings?"

"I was up in the rafters, pelting him with them when he wasn't watching."

Max snorted and beckoned Taro to follow him inside, and the inside of his nose was suddenly filled with the smells of leather, hay, and the distinct scent of clean animal. Max was already gone again before he could blink, bouncing off again to press pats to curious noses and giving greetings.

"Hi, Happy! I missed you, buddy~"

And suddenly, there he was.

Taro knew instantly that this absolutely had to be Kai Hiwatari, from his _cool_ ponytail to his dark wash jeans and knee-high riding boots to the bright blue markings standing out stark on his cheeks, standing off to the side with his arms folded sullenly. He regarded Taro with suspicion and Rei approached him with a shocking ease, leaning close and speaking quietly to him. Startling red eyes widened slightly before the boy nodded and met Taro's stare as if daring him to say anything to him.

Challenge accepted.

The man stepped forward and immediately put out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Taro Mizuhara, Max's father. I decided to come along today and watch."

The intense suspicion remained even as Kai reached out and shook his hand curtly, dropping it quickly like a hot coal.

"I'm Kai Hiwatari," then, grudgingly as if the words were being forced out from the barrel of a gun at his back, "Good to meet you."

Taro's eyes narrowed.

Definitely a hooligan.

By this time, Max had gotten an oh-my-god-there-is-no-way-my-kid-can-ride-something-that-big horse out of a stall and had it clipped into the cross-ties, already beginning to run brushes over the chestnut coat, humming cheerfully to himself, determined to ignore any potential for embarrassing family moments at all cost.

"I will be with Azzie if you need help," Kai growled, continuing to cast cold, scrutinizing glances towards Taro, "Not that you should. I would hope that you'd know your way around grooming and tack by now." Not to mention that Rei was standing way too casually to be natural that definitely meant that he wasn't going anywhere. Taro bristled at the boy's rough tone and the implication that his son was inept in some way but it didn't seem to bother Max, who just shot the taller boy a bright smile.

"Yep! Thanks, Kai."

As if he was accepting a compliment.

Kai stalked off and ducked into a stall farther down the aisle without another word. Taro scowled and a soft voice spoke up next to him, the Chinese boy had apparently decided that standing next to him was the best place to be, never mind that there were plenty of places to sit.

"Don't be offended," the golden-eyed boy said gently, as if afraid of hurting Taro's feelings, "He's a little cold and grouchy, but he's not mean. Or cruel. You just have to know how to speak Kai. You don't need to worry how he treats Max."

Taro would decide that for himself, thanks, and turned his attention to observing his son, who appeared to have forgotten that he even existed and was now making up an improv song about the merits of keeping his grain in his food tub where it belonged instead of throwing it everywhere when he ate. The massive horse's ears flicked back and forth at his voice and Taro thought that there was no way that Max wasn't going to get squashed with the way the animal was leaning into the strokes of the brush.

"He could be a little more…" the man trailed off. Warm? Welcoming? Friendly? Taro couldn't decide. Rei seemed to understand well enough though, and smiled wryly.

"Oh, probably. He _could_ be if he really, really tried. It's really just better to take him as he is."

"Kai's great!" Max interjected, his voice carrying throughout what had to be the entire length of the barn. Almost instantly, an inelegant snort could be heard in reply, but Kai didn't show himself. Rei shook his head, that funny smile still tilting at his lips. "He's a really good teacher and he lets me ride Happy and only yells when I'm doing something wrong, and he always gives me water when he thinks I'm getting too hot even though he's _really_ tough during lessons."

Taro would also decide that himself. He wasn't sure how he felt about Max's blatant idolization of that tall, surly boy but he was friends with Rei and Takao as well, and _they_ were both good kids.

"Max, focus. You're missing spots on his stomach. Kai'd make you do it the whole thing over," Rei said suddenly, scrutinizing the brown fur around Happy's girth line. Taro half-expected his boy to protest and he was surprised when Max merely bent down to run his hand over the area, frowning slightly, before devoting a more thorough grooming job to it.

Eventually, though, the horse was spotlessly clean to Rei's standards and Max was buckling the throat latch on Happy's bridle, and as if by magic, Kai made his presence known again. He kept his standard position, arms crossed and without a hint of a smile on his face.

"Take Happy out to the flat field," he said, and as he and Max left, Rei sidled back up to Taro.

"Follow me," he explained, "There are some chairs set out by the fence line that make it easier to watch."

And that was how Taro Mizuhara found himself sitting in the sun on a Saturday morning. Rei had forgone the chair in favor of perching himself on the fence, watching. His gold eyes were focused but soft, observant, but not looking for trouble. Just watching.

Kai took the liberty of checking the tightness of the girth for his own peace of mind and adjusted the stirrups to the proper length.

"Feel like getting up yourself instead of making me do it?" he grumbled quietly only to catch a sunny, knowing smile from the younger boy.

"I'll try, but he's so _big _and I'm kind of a midget," the blonde replied, taking his offered reins on one hand and struggling to catch his foot in the dangling stirrup. It just barely eluded his reach, and with a roll of scarlet eyes, Kai had slipped around to boost him up as if the weight meant nothing.

"Excuses, excuses. That's why I told you to stretch every day. Start your warm-up. Walk each way, trot each way,"

Max was already nodding, and Kai caught him with a sharp stare.

"Just because it's warm-up and your dad's here doesn't mean that you can just roll with it. Make sure that your diagonals are correct, otherwise I'm taking your stirrups away."

"…duly noted," the other boy replied, going wary at the threat before squeezing Happy into a walk. Kai took his place in the middle of the field, his own stare attentive.

"Hey, you! Your reins are uneven. Fix them or you lose those too!" he bellowed about halfway through the first rotation, sharp eyes catching Happy's telltale loose rein lazy walk.

"Sorry!" Max replied, scratching the back of his head and adjusting his reins.

From the side, Taro frowned.

"Does he ever just speak like a normal person? He yells an awful lot…"

"He can, but mostly he's set to either holler or grumble," Rei answered, though Taro was mostly muttering under his breath to himself. "Everything else aside, it's really just easier to get your voice across a field when you yell."

"Max is a sensitive kid, he's going to ruin his self-esteem—"

"Max is not offended in the slightest by Kai's demeanor if you couldn't tell by the smile," the Chinese boy's voice had gone briefly sharp, and Taro raised an eyebrow at the first show of temper he'd ever seen from him, "Kai isn't out to rip him to shreds and everyone here but you knows it. …Sorry, just—don't rip on him like that. Max is fine." _Maybe you ought to loosen up on your own reins_, went unspoken.

The conversation lulled and they both watched silently as Max completed his warm-up, catching a few more choice tidbits in the meantime from Kai, who stood as if his spine had been replaced with a steel pole. The blonde trotted the massive chestnut up to his instructor and spoke, their words too quiet to be understood, but Kai's hand reached up absently to stroke Happy lovingly behind the ears, a gesture that, to Taro, softened him up to the point that he almost looked like what he was supposed to: a teenage boy.

"Remember what I said," Kai projected as Max walked Happy to the far end of the field to hit the rail, "It's going to be a bit of a different movement to you, kind of like a rocking horse. Sit to it, and make sure to keep him collected. When you're ready, trot him down the fence, and then cue him for the canter. How do you cue for it?"

"Apply outside leg and kiss?" Max responded, and Kai scowled.

"That a question or an answer?"

"Answer."

"Very good," the praise came loose and unexpected and not half as grudging as Taro would have expected it to.

"Ooooh," Rei said quietly from the side, leaning forward to get a better view, "I don't think he's ever cantered before. He'll be fine, certainly, Happy's an old pro and knows what he's doing."

That animal was _so_ big.

Happy shifted easily into the trot and the change in gait into the canter was smooth and seasoned as if Max hadn't even needed to cue him.

"How do you know he'll be so calm?"

"Happy's kind of what we call a schoolmaster. He's well-trained and he's been around the show circuit and he's well-suited to any kind of rider, but especially an inexperienced or a nervous one. He knows what his job is, and that's to take care of his rider. Max can be a little tentative and cautious which is why I wouldn't put him on Cloud and he can get tense easily, but he can trust Happy. It's very difficult to spook him, you'd have to like, throw a bird in his face or something."

Of course, not three seconds later, the branches in the nearby tree rustled and several mourning doves flew out, calling in alarm, right into Happy's face. The horse threw his head up and bolted, far too quickly for Max to get a hold of him, hooves digging into the ground with every stride. Max's face was pure panic and Taro knew that he wasn't hearing anything that Kai was saying to him.

"Max, you need to gather your reins and sit up! Sit up and talk to him! Steady, Happy, steady—"

All it took was the sharp veer off the rail for Max to tumble off, reins ripped out of his hands, landing with a thud in the dirt.

Taro tried to slide through the rails of the fence to go to him, only to have a hand catch at his upper arm. Rei wasn't looking at him, but his statement was anything but unfocused.

"Stop. Let Kai handle it. You'll make everything worse if you go in there now."

Happy had stopped the second Max had left the saddle but Kai bypassed him entirely, breaking into an urgent jog as he hurried over.

"Don't get up, Max. Stay where you are until I get there. It's okay, don't sit up," And then he was kneeling down in the dirt next to the younger boy. "Don't get up yet. Can you move all of your toes? All your fingers? Your neck?" He fired off the questions calmly and Max responded with a shaky nod to each. "Okay, go ahead and sit up. How's your back feel? That hit first."

"I-I-I'm fine. My back hurts a little, b-but I think I'm f-fine…" Abruptly, he lost it, his face crumpling, and burst into tears.

"Are you hurt or scared?" Kai asked quietly, tone low and steady and calm as if speaking to a frightened animal. Ironic now, seeing as the actual animal that had been frightened had approached and was hanging his head over Kai's shoulder. Max didn't respond, just buried his face in his hands and sobbed. "Come on, come on, you're okay. Just breathe and talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I'm r-really scared," the blonde finally stammered out, and Kai reached out a hand to firmly squeeze his shoulder.

"Anyone would be. There was nothing you could have done to predict something like that. Sometimes, stuff like this just happens. Everyone goes off sometimes, it's just a good thing that you're not hurt."

"Do you?" Max asked, and Kai reluctantly nodded as if it physically hurt to admit it. For all any of them knew, it might.

"Azzie tossed me a couple of weeks ago when I was working on _his_ canter, and I didn't have the convenience of birds. And Rei went off of Monster the first time he rode him after getting back in the country."

"Way to throw me under the bus, Kai," Rei muttered.

"It happens. Are you mad at Happy?"

"No, it's not his fault. He got scared too."

Blood scarlet eyes met watery blue, and Kai reached behind him to take Happy by the bridle, rising to his feet. Without fanfare, he extended his other hand to help Max up.

"Pet him and talk to him. He's worried that you're angry with him,"

Taro didn't think before that moment that any animals other than dogs could get the potency of guilt that Happy was sporting right then and seconds after Max had dusted himself off, he was running his hands over the horse's cheeks, murmuring low nonsense and ending with an unashamed kiss on the velvety muzzle.

"You ready to hop back on? I think you're probably a little too shook up to do anything major but you can walk and trot him a little bit for you to both get your bearings back. I might be going easy on you, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to get sloppy."

"Gotta get right back on, huh?" Max countered "I can do this."

Kai blinked. Once, twice, then three times, before the sides of his lips tilted up subtly in what for him could be considered pride.

"That, kid, is why I don't complain about teaching you," he said lowly and Max's mouth dropped open in surprised delight. The taller boy didn't offer anything more in the way of encouragement but Taro thought that if his kid got any happier he might float off into the sky and never come down, a stark contrast from the look on his face three minutes ago and something about Kai himself had gentled with his words. Kai also didn't complain or even mention it when he reached around to give Max the boost up, nor when he waited to let go of Happy's bridle until he was sure that the other boy was calm and wasn't going to drop his reins.

"Walk him once, then bring him back to me."

Compared to the first half, the second half of the lesson was distinctly less exciting, though Taro would have traded all the excitement in the world to not see his only child nearly fall to his death again. It was clear even from where he sat that Max was tense and his movements were jerkier than they had been, but Happy stayed calm and seemed to compensate for his rider's tension, occasionally turning his head to peer up at him.

"We can go ahead and head in now, they're about finished," Rei commented, hopping down off of the fence and beckoning Taro back into the barn with him. "Do you feel a little better about him, now?" The question was surprisingly candid and Taro considered his answer as they walked, unsure as to how he wanted to phrase it.

"I don't know if I _like_ him," he said finally, trying to be quiet enough so as not to be overheard, "But I think I _trust_ him more."

Rei blinked much like his friend had earlier before running a hand through his hair.

"Kai's not like a lot of people," he said, "He's unsociable and has a short fuse and doesn't tolerate idiocy. But he's _safe_ and he's loyal and he makes damned sure anything and everything under his protection stays that way. Right now, that includes your son. Kai doesn't need you to like him, most of the world kind of doesn't and I don't blame them for it even though I love him to pieces. He does, however, need you to trust him because Max loves you and wants your approval." Rei paused, biting his lip, before throwing Taro a lackadaisical grin.

"So he's _not_ a hooligan, right? Like…no smoking, no drinking, no rampant casual sex or gambling? Rich boys can be…Why are you laughing?"

Rei couldn't reply because he was doubled over and leaning against the barn, snickering helplessly into his hands.

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><p>"And you're absolutely <em>sure<em> that you're okay and don't need an ice pack?" Taro asked for about the tenth time and they weren't even home yet, "Because we can stop by a gas station and grab one-"

Max huffed and rolled his eyes, the epitome of teenager.

Where did his sweet Maxie go? Taro lamented.

"Daaaaad, I'm seriously fine," the blonde insisted, "I'll be a little sore later, but I'm fine. Gaaaah."

"Okay, okay," Taro gave in, albeit reluctantly.

Silence reigned for the next while until,

"Did you like Kai?"

Taro choked and eyed his son, who was watching him with wide blue eyes.

"Ummm…" Somehow, being honest felt kind of like kicking a puppy.

"Because _I_ think he's awesome," Max continued as if he hadn't even expected a proper answer, "Ta-kun thinks he's a jerk sometimes, but that's mostly when he forgets to keep his heels down and gets yelled at."

"Uh, Maxie, he yells at you too. I would know, I was kind of there."

"Yeah, but he's not _mean_ about it. He's not mean to Ta-kun either, Ta-kun's just oversensitive is all. Well, he's a little mean, I guess. But it's like…I don't know. He's either the nicest mean guy I've ever met or the meanest nice one." Max stretched his arms over his head and rolled his shoulders, flinching just a little when muscle pulled. "So do you like him?"

Taro was still trying to figure out whether this was a healthy relationship or not.

Nevertheless, he mulled over his answer.

Instantly, his brain jumped to an emphatic _no_, thinking of suspicious scarlet eyes and an almost perpetual scowl and a voice that seemed naturally sharp and out to cut down his sensitive kid and the aforementioned kid's self-esteem.

Then it changed.

Taro remembered the look on that boy's face when he was speaking and not yelling, running a hand that couldn't be anything but gentle over Happy's ears. He thought of the rage that had instantly gathered in the pit of his stomach when Max had begun to cry and he'd been sure that Kai would reprimand him for it, when in the end he'd been calm and reassuring. And then he thought not of Kai, but Max's smile when he received that tiny (and in Taro's opinion, nearly nonexistent) compliment.

He scowled.

"Nope."

Max's face fell and his father shrugged, smiling wryly at him before continuing,

"But I don't think he's a bad kid. Still a cocky brat, though. At least's Rei's got good sense."

And then Taro was the recipient of that bright, shining smile that lit up like a supernova and he couldn't help but think that yeah, this was had been the best plan he'd had in a while. And maybe, just maybe he'd try and think a little bit better of Kai Hiwatari.

Maybe.

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><p>OWARI<p> 


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